Conventionally, a rotating electric machine includes a motor section and a controller section that controls the motor section. For example, in the rotating electric machine disclosed in a patent document 1 (i.e., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-90376), the controller section is positioned in an area outside of the stator of the motor section in an axial direction. The positioning of the controller section outside of the stator in the axial direction may also be described as axially non-overlapping with the stator of the motor section along an axis of the rotating electric machine. In other words, the controller section and the motor section do not share a range of axial coordinates.
In the rotating electric machine of the patent document 1, the motor case is covered by a cylindrical shaped motor case, and the controller section is covered by a cylindrical shaped cover, respectively, for preventing the intrusion of dust, water and the like into those sections, together with the prevention of rust generation. However, in the rotating electric machine of the patent document 1, covering the motor section and the controller section separately is not dust-proof and water-proof. Dust, water, etc., may intrude into the controller section and/or the motor section through a gap between the motor case and the cover. When dust or water intrudes into the controller section or the motor section, the controller section and/or the motor section may malfunction or rust may be generated therein on a metal part.
Thus, by disposing an annular sealing member at the joint of the motor case and the cover in the rotating electric machine of the patent document 1, air-tightness and water-tightness are maintained at a gap between the motor case and the cover. However, when the sealing member is disposed at such position, the manufacturing cost of the rotating electric machine may increase. Further, even when a sealing member is disposed, a gap still exists between the motor case and the cover, which leaves a possibility of dust/water intrusion.
Further, an opening is formed at a predetermined position of an end/edge of the cover of the controller section, and the opening of the cover is sealed by a resin-made connector that is glued thereon. In such configuration, when glue used to seal a gap between the connector and the opening of the cover is not sufficiently sealed, dust, water, etc., may intrude into the controller section through the gap between the connector and the cover.
Thus, in the rotating electric machine of the patent document 1, there are many outside-inside “communication” portions that allow intrusion of dust and/or water into the rotating electric machine (i.e., the joint between the motor case and the cover, the opening around the connector, etc.), and providing protection against dust, water, rust and the like may only be achieved at an increased cost.